Police investigate several car break-ins

ROCHESTER — A series of car break-ins Thursday night has prompted police to warn residents to lock their vehicles and not keep valuables inside.

Jennifer Lade

ROCHESTER — A series of car break-ins Thursday night has prompted police to warn residents to lock their vehicles and not keep valuables inside.

Police received reports of thefts from about a dozen unlocked cars Thursday night or early Friday morning, according to Police Chief Paul Magee. Cash, electronics and other valuables were taken from cars parked on Walnut Plain Road, Snipatuit Road and Pine Street sometime before 3 a.m. Friday.

"We have had a couple sporadic (breaks) over the last two weeks, but nothing like we had last night," Chief Magee said.

The break-ins were thought to have been committed by the same person or group of people, possibly one person on foot searching the cars and another driving and picking up the thief, he added. In all cases, there was no forced entry into the cars — there was no need for it.

"People are leaving the car unlocked with GPS and cell phones," he said.

GPS units can cost anywhere from under $100 to upwards of $1,000. Police say they are attractive to thieves because they are easily removed from cars and can be cashed in at pawn shops or sold online for a significant sum. Although companies have the ability to track a specific unit if it is registered, most people never register their item with the manufacturer. Technologically savvy thieves will know enough to reset the device or turn it off, making it impossible to track.

Car break-ins are becoming a regional problem.

Wareham also had reports of two unlocked cars being entered Thursday night, although nothing was stolen from either vehicle, said Public Information Officer Lt. Irving Wallace.

A couple weeks ago, Lt. Wallace said, four or five cars, all in the same neighborhood, were broken into, their windows smashed and valuables taken. His advice to residents is to keep expensive items out of sight.

"Don't leave things in your vehicles that look attractive to steal," he said, adding that people often leave cameras, iPods and briefcases out in the open, enticing thieves to enter and take the goods.

"Whatever you have valuable, you try to lock it within your trunk."

Also earlier this month, Lakeville Police Chief Mark Sorel issued a public advisory after several motor vehicle break-ins occurred on the north side of town. And last October, Wareham police arrested a man suspected to be involved in several car break-ins in town. He was caught with illicit drugs and several cell phones, credit cards, CDs and a digital camera, all believed stolen.

To alert residents of the break-ins, Chief Magee used the Plymouth County Sheriff Department's communicator system, which calls phone numbers in the database to notify people of crimes and other emergency situations. The message informed residents of the nature of the crimes and reminded them to lock their cars. If residents notice their car has been broken into, they are asked to call police, even if nothing was stolen, to help officers determine the route taken by the thieves.

Residents with unlisted numbers will not be called unless they contact the sheriff's office at (508) 830-6324 and have their phone number added to the database, Chief Magee said.